70 Euro in Paris gets you.....

A room that you’re scared to sleep in. We are once again on a train. Our luggage system has been streamlined and each trip we find more organizational resources within ourselves to keep our luggage to a minimum. We still look like the traveling circus but we are now travelling with eight bags instead of eleven. We arrived in Paris tired and crusty and in major need of a place to stay; which meant that following our favourite tradition of inability to plan because of lack of internet and phone, we were walking the streets trying to find a place.

After staying in Taize for two weeks, we were a little shocked that the places below a one-star where you are sure that only cockroaches would want to live cost 70 Euro a night, but it’s true. Since Paris is the most visited city in the world it is little wonder that beggar’s can’t be choosers.
So, we settled for the room we were scared to sleep in and left as soon as we had dropped our bags. I should also note that there were no bathrooms in the hall but that there was one bathroom for each floor and that their entrance was on the winding staircases with steps just large enough to make Simeon plummet down them every time he had to step out of the washroom. Oh joy.

Wandering Madrid

Sept.20 2010

We love Madrid! It is a beautiful and incredibly vibrant city. People from Barcelona say, ‘why have a museum when you can have a beach?’, but walking through Madrid tonight seemed to generate a party within my tired bones. We went to sleep with a mariachi band singing in Sol after a long night of walking the city. Sol is a massive square that seems to generate the energy for a lingering and late, night life. The photo at the top is a photo of a church that we just happened upon. It still seems unfathomable that a church like this can just be ‘happened upon.’ Madrid is full of wonderful cathedrals and is steeped in all that is Spain.

For those travelling, Madrid is a easy city to find a hotel, or better ‘hostal’. These are typically cheaper hotels that perch themselves on the upper levels of the downtown buildings. Not being large hotels some of the perks may be missing, but they really do put you close to the action. Best thing to do is plan to have some time to walk in the neighbourhood you want to stay and simply check some out till you find one that works. If we go back to Madrid, I think that we will simply try a different neighbourhood to stay in because they are really very different and all seem very lively.

After walking for a few hours we found a tapas bar and had some authentic Spanish salami and bread, some salad. This was an amazing imersion in spanish culture and a great way to gear up because tomorrow we pick up our bikes and then........ THE CAMINO!!